The January transfer window is now open so clubs are working hard trying to strengthen their squads for the second half of the season and put deals in place for the summer. Today, Liverpool have held talks with Dani Ceballos…

Liverpool have stolen a march on Arsenal and Tottenham after holding transfer talks with Real Madrid attacker Dani Ceballos in a hotel this week, according to reports.

Ceballos came through the youth ranks at Real Betis and snubbed interest from a whole host of top European clubs to join Madrid in a £12m move last summer.

However, the 21-year-old’s time at the Bernabeu hasn’t gone according to plan so far as Ceballos has struggled to establish himself in Zinedine Zidane’s starting eleven.

The youngster has made just two starts in the league and is yet to start a game in the Champions League so it’s understandable that he’s become frustrated with his lack of regular first team football.

Ceballos’s situation has caught the attention of clubs here in the Premier League with The Sun claiming that Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham are showing a keen interest in offering him a fresh start.

With Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez tipped to leave Arsenal after failing to sign new contracts, Arsene Wenger is in the market for reinforcements and it looks like Ceballos is one of the players on his radar.

Tottenham are also expected to further strengthen their squad as Mauricio Pochettino tries to make that final push to make them genuine title contenders and Ceballos would fit the profile of the type of player he’d look for.

However, it seems Liverpool have stolen a march on their rivals as the Express are citing a report from Spanish outlet Diario Gol that claims the Reds have held talks with the player about a move to Anfield.

The newspaper says Liverpool officials met with Ceballos and his agent in a hotel to discuss a deal after Jurgen Klopp identified the Spanish youngster as a potential replacement for Philippe Coutinho.

The Merseysiders have money to spend following Coutinho’s £142m move so they could test Madrid’s resolve with a tempting offer for Ceballos’s signature this month.

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